The Texas Rangers are more popular than the Dallas Cowboys. That doesn't sound right, does it?

Nolan Ryan even had to take a second to digest the information. The thought of that had never crossed his mind.

When Ryan spent the final five years of his big-league career with the Rangers from 1989-1993, the Cowboys were America's Team. They were starting a dynasty that would win three Super Bowls in four years behind the triplets, Troy Aikman, Emmitt Smith and Michael Irvin.

The Rangers, meanwhile, had never made a postseason trip and could have only dreamt of being as popular as the Cowboys one day.

"The Cowboys were an extremely big attraction and draw, not just here but nationwide," said Ryan, the Rangers' CEO and president. "They had such a history and popularity. The Rangers obviously weren't even close to having that type of fan interest, so I never gave it much thought about how we rated with the Cowboys."

Well, that one day has come and it's happened. The Rangers have become more popular than the Cowboys in Dallas-Fort Worth, according to a survey by the Scarborough Sports Team.

The survey asked Dallas-Fort Worth adults whether they have watched, attended or listened to a Rangers or Cowboys game in the past year. A "yes" answer is considered a fan, and 62 percent answered positively for the Rangers.